Faculty directors Melinda Stanley, left, and Michael Hutchins, right, talk with Mark Baer, interim assistant vice president of Online Academic Affairs, during a recent IU Online retreat. Photo by Jennifer Ashcraft, Indiana University

A new initiative to support collaboration among faculty across all Indiana University campuses and strengthen the quality and delivery of online programs involved creating six new collaborative program clusters and selecting faculty directors to lead each of them.

Mark Baer has joined IU Online as interim assistant vice president for online academic affairs. Photo by Indiana University IU Online supports the delivery of over 50 collaborative degree programs serving over 2,800 students. These programs are developed and managed by faculty representatives from each participating campus who define the curriculum, schedule course delivery and oversee student success outcomes.

The new program clusters will create synergies between related programs, and the faculty directors will provide a single point of contact for navigating the complexities of intercampus collaboration, said Mark Baer, IU Online’s interim assistant vice president for online academic affairs.

“Our model of delivering online programs as a collective, led by the same faculty who lead our campus programs, is a point of distinction for Indiana University,” Baer said. “Our investment pays off by extending access to IU excellence beyond the borders of our campuses and offering access to students of all ages who juggle career and family commitments with their educational goals.”

Here are the new faculty directors and collaborative program clusters:

• Pepe Gimenez of IU East will lead the Mathematics Cluster. This includes Bachelor of Science programs for applied statistics and actuarial science; a Master of Science for actuarial science; and an accelerated Bachelor of Science to Master of Science program for actuarial science.

• Michael Hutchins of IU Southeast will lead the World Languages Cluster. Included are Bachelor of Science programs for French, German and Spanish; Master of Arts in Teaching programs for French and German; and graduate certificates in German and Spanish.

• Brian O’Camb of IU Northwest will lead the English and Communication Cluster. This includes a Bachelor of Science program in digital media and storytelling; a Master of Arts in English; and graduate certificates in literature, language and literature, composition studies, and communication studies.

• Cathrine Reck of IU Bloomington will lead the Science and Mathematics Graduate Cluster. It includes Master of Arts in Teaching programs and graduate certificates for biology, chemistry, computer science and mathematics.

• Dana Vrajitoru of IU South Bend will lead the Technology and Computing Cluster, which includes the Bachelor of Science programs for computer science, data science and informatics.

• Joe Wert of IU Southeast will lead the Social Sciences Cluster. Included are graduate certificates in criminal justice and political science; a Master of Arts in political science; a Master of Science in criminal justice and public safety; and a Master of Arts in Teaching in political science.

Faculty directors were nominated by full-time faculty from the programs in the clusters and appointed by IU Online in coordination with academic leadership from each campus. They receive a supplemental stipend from IU Online.

“Placing faculty voices at the forefront of these programs underscores the vital role we play as discipline-specific experts in our fields,” said Kristyn MacInnis, who leads the Bachelor of Science in Applied Health Science program at IU South Bend. “Serving as a faculty director has been an incredibly rewarding experience, enriched by collaboration, collective action and shared decision-making.”

The new program clusters build on the success of the current Business Cluster and History Cluster, led by Lee Zhong of IU East and Andrew McFarland of IU Kokomo, respectively. Other returning faculty directors, along with MacInnis, are:

• Jennifer McNeany, IU Kokomo, Education Specialist program in school psychology.

• Gina Yoder, IU Indianapolis, graduate certificate in teaching English learners.

• Melinda Stanley, IU Kokomo, Bachelor of Applied Science.

“Mark’s leadership in creating these positions and recruiting a strong collection of faculty leadership is an exciting step in further reinforcing the academic ownership of these programs — a key tenet of IU’s approach to online education,” said Chris Foley, associate vice president and director of IU Online. “I have no doubt that the faculty directors, along with Mark, will further build on the academic quality and reputation of these programs while being more responsive to student needs.”

Kirk Johannesen is a communications consultant in the Office of the Vice President for Communications and Marketing.